is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Kagoshima prefecture" in . Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto Prefecture to the north and Miyazaki Prefecture to the northeast.
Kagoshima is the capital and largest city of Kagoshima Prefecture, with other major cities including Kirishima, Kanoya, and Satsumasendai.Nussbaum, "Kagoshima prefecture" at . Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southernmost point of Kyūshū and includes the Satsunan Islands group of the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture's mainland territory extends from the Ariake Sea to Shibushi Bay on the Pacific Ocean coast, and is characterized by two large peninsulas created by Kagoshima Bay. Kagoshima Prefecture formed the core of the Satsuma Domain, ruled from Kagoshima Castle, one of the most important Japanese domains of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration.
History
Kagoshima Prefecture corresponds to the ancient Japanese provinces Ōsumi and Satsuma, including the northern part of the Ryukyu Islands (Satsunan).Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at . This region played a key role in the Meiji Restoration (Saigō Takamori), and the city of Kagoshima was an important naval base during Japan's 20th century wars and the home of admiral Tōgō Heihachirō. More recent incidents are the sinking of a North Korean spy ship (100 ton class) in 2001 by the Coast Guard, which was later salvaged and exhibited in Tokyo, and the abduction of an office clerk and her boyfriend from a Kagoshima beach in 1978 by agents from the same country. This became known only recently under the Koizumi administration.
Demographics The two main ethnic groups of Kagoshima Prefecture are the Japanese and the Ryukyuans (Amami Islands).
Geography Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu on the Satsuma Peninsula and Ōsumi Peninsula. This prefecture also includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest of Kyushu for a few hundred kilometers. The most important group is the Amami Islands. Surrounded by the East China Sea to the west, Okinawa Prefecture in the south, Kumamoto Prefecture to the north, and Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, it has of coastline (including the 28 islands). It has a bay called Kagoshima Bay (Kinkowan), which is sandwiched by two peninsulas, Satsuma and Ōsumi. Its position made it a 'gateway' to Japan at various times in history. While Kyushu has about 13 million people, there are less than 2 million in this prefecture.
The prefecture boasts a chain of active and dormant volcanoes, including the great Sakurajima, which towers out of the Kagoshima bay opposite Kagoshima city. A steady trickle of smoke and ash emerges from the caldera, punctuated by louder mini-eruptions on an almost daily basis. On active days in Kagoshima city an umbrella is advisable to ward off the ash. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes. Major eruptions occurred in 1914, when the island mountain spilled enough material to become permanently connected to the mainland, and a lesser eruption in 1960. Volcanic materials in the soil make Sakurajima a source for record daikon radishes, roughly the size of a basketball. Many beaches around the Kagoshima Bay are littered with well-worn pumice stones. A crater lake in the southwestern tip of the prefecture, near the spa town of Ibusuki, is home to a rare species of giant eel.
As of 31 March 2019, 13% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Amami Guntō, Kirishima-Kinkowan, Unzen-Amakusa, and Yakushima National Parks; Koshikishima and Nichinan Kaigan Quasi-National Parks; and Akune, Bōnoma, Fukiagehama, Imutaike, Ōsumi Nanbu, Sendaigawa Ryūiki, Takakumayama, and Tokara Rettō Prefectural Natural Parks.
Economy Most of the economic sector is focused in Kagoshima City and the surrounding area, corresponding to the extent of the former Satsuma Province. The eastern part of the prefecture, the former Ōsumi Province, is mostly rural and shows a general population decline.
The prefecture has strong agricultural roots, which are reflected in its most well-known exports: green tea, sweet potato, radish, Pongee rice, Satsuma ware, Berkshire pork ("kurobuta") and local Black Wagyu beef. Kagoshima prefecture's production of bonito flakes is second only to that of Shizuoka. In addition, it produces Japan's largest volume of unagi eels. Kagoshima is also the largest beef-producing and pork-producing prefecture in Japan.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has several facilities within the prefecture, including the country's main launch facility on Tanegashima and the Uchinoura Space Center.
The prefecture's gross domestic product is approximately 5,548.7 trillion yen, with a work force of about 791,000 people (2018).
Municipalities
The following is a list of Kagoshima Prefecture's cities, and its administrative districts with their constituent towns and villages:
Cities
Nineteen cities are located in Kagoshima Prefecture: NameArea (km2)PopulationMapRōmajiKanji Aira姶良市231.3275,665 Akune阿久根市134.323,887 Amami奄美市308.1542,718 Hioki日置市253.0651,819 Ibusuki指宿市149.0143,931 Ichikikushikinoいちき串木野市112.0430,551 Isa伊佐市392.3630,070 Izumi出水市330.0656,205 Kagoshima (capital)鹿児島市547.58595,049 Kanoya鹿屋市448.33104,148 Kirishima霧島市603.18124,763 Makurazaki枕崎市74.8821,960 Minamikyūshū南九州市357.8539,738 Minamisatsuma南さつま市283.339,012 Nishinoomote西之表市205.7516,418 Satsumasendai薩摩川内市683.596,411 Shibushi志布志市209.0133,724 Soo曽於市390.3937,038 Tarumizu垂水市161.8614,847
Districts These are the towns and villages in each district: NameArea (km2)PopulationDistrict [subprefecture (if any)]TypeMapRōmajiKanji Amagi天城町80.356,350Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town China知名町53.295,976Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Higashikushira東串良町27.697,122Kimotsuki DistrictTown Isen伊仙町62.76,594Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Kikai喜界町56.947,657Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Kimotsuki肝付町308.1215,169Kimotsuki DistrictTown Kinkō錦江町163.159,328Kimotsuki DistrictTown Minamiōsumi南大隅町213.597,646Kimotsuki DistrictTown Minamitane南種子町110.45,925Kumage District [Kumage Subprefecture]Town Mishima三島村31.36383Kagoshima DistrictVillage Nagashima長島町116.1310,124Izumi DistrictTown Nakatane中種子町137.788,439Kumage District [Kumage Subprefecture]Town Ōsaki大崎町100.8213,488Soo DistrictTown Satsumaさつま町303.4323,842Satsuma DistrictTown Setouchi瀬戸内町239.929,379Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Tatsugō龍郷町82.085,992Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Tokunoshima徳之島町104.8711,673Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Toshima十島村101.35688Kagoshima DistrictVillage Uken宇検村103.071,843Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Village Wadomari和泊町40.376,929Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Yakushima屋久島町540.9813,486Kumage District [Kumage Subprefecture]Town Yamato大和村88.151,638Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Village Yoron与論町20.495,263Ōshima District
[Ōshima Subprefecture]Town Yūsui湧水町144.3312,220Aira DistrictTown
Mergers
Culture Food Kagoshima Prefecture has a distinct and rich food culture. The warm weather and diverse environments allow for the agriculture and aquaculture of Kagoshima to thrive. Numerous restaurants around Kagoshima feature Satsuma Province local cuisine. Popular cuisine incorporating local agriculture include sweet potato, kibinago sashimi (silver-striped herring), buri amberjack, kampachi yellowtail, "Black Label Products" such as kuro-ushi Wagyu beef, kuro-buta Berkshire pork dishes, and kuro-Satsuma jidori chicken (sometimes served as raw, chicken sashimi); smoked eel, keihan, and miki (fermented rice milk consumed among residents of the Amami Islands).
Satsuma-age Satsuma-age, or deep-fried fish cake, comes in great variety in Kagoshima. Though the deep-fried fishcake can be found throughout the country, the Satsuma Domain (modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture) is commonly believed to be the birthplace of the snack. It is said, though, the concept was introduced from the Ryūkyū Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa Prefecture) by Satsuma Lord, Nariakira Shimazu.
Sweets There are many types of sweets produced in Kagoshima Prefecture. has produced some of Japan's most popular and timeless sweets such as , , and green tea-flavored Hyōroku mochi, Minami "shirokuma" shaved ice desserts, etc. Traditional treats outside of Seika Food Co., Ltd. products include karukan (sweet cakes made from steamed yams and rice flour), jambo-mochi, kokutō brown sugar from the Amami Islands, getanha brown sugar cake, etc.
Beverages In 1559, at in a carpenter wrote atop a wooden board "the Shintō Priest of this shrine is too stingy to offer me showing an early love for the spirits. Kagoshima Prefecture is officially recognized (by the World Trade Organization) as the home to one of the most traditional beverages of Japan, shōchū. In Kagoshima there are 113+ distilleries, producing about 1,500 highly acclaimed brands, placing Kagoshima in the top for production quantity and shipment. While visiting Kagoshima, one may notice labels reading . Honkaku-shōchū is a distilled beverage produced with traditional skills using ingredients such as natural spring water, sweet potatoes, locally grown sugar cane, and grains. Varieties of honkaku-shōchū include , shōchū distilled from sweet potatoes, , distilled from barley, and distilled from rice. Another type of shōchū is , shōchū distilled with brown sugar). Shōchū has long gained international favor and has come to be comparable to Bordeaux for wine, Scotch for whiskey, and Cognac for brandy. Also, the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture are the only areas sanctioned to bear the label of kokutō-shōchū.
or black vinegar is another item of the "Black Label Products" of Kagoshima, the other of which is Kokutō-shōchū. There are a number of kurozu farms around Kagoshima, most of which are located around the Kirishima area. Most kurozu farms produce kurozu bottled vinegar (fermented for a single year, 2+ years) along with other items such as salad dressing, powders, capsules, spices, candy, etc. Kurozu also comes in different flavors such as grape, orange, ume plum, etc. though the most popular flavor by far is apple. The farms are open to visitations and often offer tours.
Dialect
Today, Kagoshima is home to a distinctive dialect of Japanese known as or , differing from the usual Kyushu dialects with its pronunciations of the yotsugana.
For the most part, Satsugū dialect is mutually unintelligible with Standard Japanese, though most Satsugū speakers know both as a result of language standardization in Japan.
Sport and recreation
Kagoshima Rebnise, a professional basketball team, was founded in 2003 and currently competes in the second division of the national B.League. Kagoshima United FC, a football team, was founded in 2014 and competes in the J3 League. Although no major professional baseball teams are based in the prefecture, a number of Kagoshima's ballparks have hosted the spring training camps of Nippon Professional Baseball teams:
Ibusuki Municipal Ballpark (指宿市営球場), camp home of the Kokutesu Swallows , camp home of Sagan Tosu (football) Kagoshima Kamoike Stadium, camp home of Júbilo Iwata (football) and Toshiba Brave Lupus (rugby) Kamoike Ballpark, previous camp home of the Chiba Lotte Marines (NPB) and Lotte Giants (KBO League). Also hosts regular season games.
Yunomoto Ballpark (湯之元球場), camp home of the Yakult Atoms
The Kirishima-Yaku National Park is located in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Education Universities and colleges Daiichi Institute of Technology Daiichi Junior College of Infant Education The International University of Kagoshima Kagoshima Immaculate Heart College Kagoshima Immaculate Heart University Kagoshima Prefectural College Kagoshima University